JP2019133274A - Tactile presentation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a tactile presentation device capable of imparting an accurate tactile presentation even with small displacement.SOLUTION: A tactile presentation device is constituted which has: a tactile actuator 10 which is displaceable; a tactile contact lens 20 which is provided on a surface in a displaceable direction of the tactile actuator 10; and a control part 30 which controls displacement of the tactile actuator 10. The tactile presentation device is configured in an elastomer shape in which the tactile actuator 10 itself the shape of which deforms is fitted with the tactile contact lens 20 so as to impart accurate tactile presentation even with small displacement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a tactile sense presentation device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a tactile sensation presentation apparatus that can be operated by bringing a fingertip into contact with an operation surface and presenting a tactile sensation in response to this operation has been disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  The tactile sensation presentation apparatus includes an operation surface that can be touched by an operator's fingertip in a vehicle interior, a shear force detection unit that detects a shear force applied to the operation surface, and a tactile sensation change that partially changes the tactile sensation of the operation surface. And a control means for controlling a tactile sensation changing portion in which the tactile sensation is changed by the tactile sensation changing means in accordance with the shearing force detected by the shearing force detecting means. This tactile sensation presentation device is designed so that the driver's finger as an operator does not have to move as much as possible for various operations, the area of the operation surface may be small, and the range in which the operator moves the finger may be small. It is said that. For this reason, the shearing force applied to the operation surface that can be touched by the operator's fingertip is detected by the shearing force detecting means, and the control means detects the operating surface whose tactile sensation is changed by the tactile sensation changing means. Control the tactile sensation changing part.

JP 2014-232498 A

  The conventional technique gives a tactile sensation to a finger by a movable micro unevenness and feeds back an operation state. However, when the unevenness change is small, there is little displacement, and an accurate tactile sensation can be given to the operator. There was a problem that it might not be possible.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a tactile sensation presentation apparatus that can give an accurate tactile sensation presentation even with a small displacement.

[1] In order to achieve the above object, a displaceable tactile actuator, a tactile contact lens provided on a surface of the displaceable direction of the tactile actuator, and a control unit that controls the displacement of the tactile actuator. Provided is a tactile presentation device.
[2] The haptic contact lens may be the haptic presentation device according to [1], wherein the haptic contact lens amplifies the haptic presentation by the displacement of the haptic actuator in a displaceable direction.
[3] The haptic actuator according to [1] or [2] above, wherein the haptic actuator is a gel actuator.
[4] The haptic presentation device according to any one of [1] to [3], in which a plurality of the haptic actuators are arranged in a two-dimensional direction.

  According to the tactile sensation presentation apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to give an accurate tactile sensation presentation even with a small displacement.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing one unit U of the tactile sensation presentation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the haptic actuator is driven and displaced in one unit U of the haptic presentation device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional perspective view showing an example in which a plurality of units U of the tactile sensation presentation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention are arranged in a two-dimensional direction to constitute the haptic presentation apparatus.

(Embodiment of the present invention)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing one unit U of the tactile sensation presentation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. A tactile presentation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention controls a displaceable tactile actuator 10, a tactile contact lens 20 provided on a surface of the tactile actuator 10 in a displaceable direction, and displacement of the tactile actuator 10. And a control unit 30. The tactile sensation presentation apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 shows one unit U that is the smallest unit that can be tactile sensation. However, any one of the unit U and a combination of a plurality of the units U exhibits the function of tactile sensation presentation. . In the following, referring to FIG. 1, the tactile sensation providing apparatus 1 that is one unit U will be described.

(Tactile actuator 10)
As shown in FIG. 1, the tactile actuator 10 has a plus electrode 12 formed on a substrate 11, a minus electrode 14 corresponding to the plus electrode 12 is disposed, and a voltage is applied to a region including between the plus electrode 12 and the minus electrode 14. The PVC gel 13 is a gel actuator whose shape changes due to the above. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper portion of the plus electrode 12 is an opening 15 without the minus electrode 14.

  In the haptic actuator 10, when a voltage is applied between the plus electrode 12 and the minus electrode 14, the PVC gel 13 aggregates in the vicinity of the plus electrode 12 and deforms. Due to the deformation of the PVC gel 13, the PVC gel 13 is displaced upward from the opening 15 shown in FIG. By such an operation, the haptic actuator 10 functions as a displaceable haptic actuator.

  The substrate 11 is, for example, a rigid substrate having rigidity, and is an electric substrate such as an epoxy substrate, a ceramic substrate, or a glass epoxy substrate capable of forming electrodes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the positive electrode 12 is formed on the substrate 11 and connected to the control unit 30. The plus electrode 12 is made of, for example, copper. Similarly, the minus electrode 14 is formed of copper or the like at a position corresponding to the plus electrode 12.

  As the gel actuator, a dielectric material that causes a creep phenomenon that aggregates and deforms in the vicinity of an electrode when a voltage is applied can be used. Examples of the dielectric material that causes the creep phenomenon include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polymethyl methacrylate, polyurethane, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, nylon 6, polyvinyl alcohol, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, and silicone rubber. PVC is inexpensive and can be suitably used in that it easily creeps.

  In the present embodiment, a PVC gel 13 made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is used as the gel actuator. As shown in FIG. 1, the PVC gel 13 is filled between the substrate 11 and the tactile contact lens 20. The PVC gel 13 can be aggregated and deformed in the vicinity of the electrode by applying a voltage. However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. It is possible to displace upward from the opening 15 formed in the above. This displacement enables tactile presentation.

  The above-described configuration of the tactile actuator is merely an example, and any configuration that can control displacement in the upward direction in FIG. 1 may be used. Various devices can be used as long as they can be controlled so as to be displaced in the direction of the tactile contact lens 20. For example, it is a solenoid or the like composed of a projectable pin and a main body that can be displaced and supported while the pin is displaceably supported. Further, other displacement means such as an electromagnetic drive system and an artificial muscle can be used.

(Tactile contact lens 20)
As shown in FIG. 1, the tactile contact lens 20 is a part that is erected from the sheet-like detection unit 21 and the sheet-like detection unit 21 that is affixed to a detection target, and performs operations such as contact and tracing with a finger or the like. And a certain presentation unit 22. The tactile contact lens 20 is erected such that the presentation portion 22 protrudes like a brush hair. When the tactile contact lens 20 touches the presentation unit 22 with a finger or the like, the tactile sensation on the surface of the detection target (tactile actuator 10) to which the sheet-like detection unit 21 is attached has a sensitivity of 3 to 5 times, for example. It is supposed to be amplified.

(Sheet detector 21)
The sheet-like detection unit 21 is a flexible sheet that is disposed in contact with the tactile actuator 10.

  The sheet-like detection unit 21 is preferably composed of a resin member such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacetal, or polycarbonate. The thickness of the sheet-like detection unit 21 is preferably about 0.05 to 0.6 mm, although it varies depending on the elastic modulus.

(Presentation part 22)
The presentation unit 22 is formed by standing from the sheet-like detection unit 21 and is a part that performs operations such as contact and tracing with a finger or the like. The deformation resistance in at least one direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the sheet-shaped detection unit 21 is configured to be smaller than the deformation resistance of the sheet-shaped detection unit 21 in the same direction. It is composed of materials and shapes that do not obstruct.

  As an example, as the material of the presentation unit 22, an anisotropic material having different deformation resistance depending on the deformation direction, such as fiber reinforced plastic or high-functional resin, can be used. In addition, it is preferable that the tip 22a, which is the surface of the presenting unit 22, has a rigidity that does not cause expansion and contraction of the presenting unit 22 even when pressed in the thickness direction of the sheet-like detection unit 21.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a plurality of the presenting units 22 are formed at intervals in the plane of the sheet-like detection unit 21.

  The presenting unit 22 does not expand and contract in the longitudinal direction of the presenting unit 22 even when the tip 22a is pressurized, and the angle (for example, 90 degrees) formed by the sheet-shaped detection unit 21 and the presenting unit 22 is constant. It is preferable that it is comprised by the member which has the rigidity of the grade which can be hold | maintained to. By always keeping the angle formed by the sheet-shaped detection unit 21 and the presenting unit 22 constant, the tip 22a is displaced by a deformation amount corresponding to the unevenness of the tactile actuator 10, so that the tactile sense detected by the sheet-shaped detection unit 21 is detected. The unevenness of the actuator 10 can be accurately amplified to present a tactile sensation.

  In addition, the shape of the presenting part 22 is not particularly limited, and the effect of amplifying the unevenness can be exhibited even in a plate shape or a raised shape in addition to a columnar body such as a cone shape, a pyramid shape, a cylinder shape or a prism shape. it can. The tip portion 22a can be formed in a sharp shape, a flat shape, a curved shape, or the like. In particular, if the presenting portion 22 is conical or cylindrical, the shape of the tip portion 22a is preferably hemispherical. .

  The plurality of presenting units 22 are arranged at a predetermined interval from the adjacent presenting units 22. The space | interval of this mutual presentation part 22 is 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less, for example. The reason for this interval is that the discrimination area of the human fingertip is about 1 mm.

(Control unit 30)
The control unit 30 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer. The control unit 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs operations and processing on the acquired data according to a stored program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is a semiconductor memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like. .

  The control unit 30 applies a voltage between the plus electrode 12 and the minus electrode 14 of the haptic actuator 10 according to an external input signal (not shown) or according to a stored program. By applying this voltage, it is possible to control the haptic presentation that displaces the haptic actuator 10. Further, the amount of tactile presentation can be controlled by the voltage value to be applied.

(Operation of the tactile sense presentation device 1)
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the haptic actuator is driven and displaced in one unit U of the haptic presentation device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  When a voltage is applied between the plus electrode 12 and the minus electrode 14 of the tactile actuator 10 by the control unit 30, the PVC gel 13 aggregates and deforms in the vicinity of the plus electrode 12. Due to the deformation of the PVC gel 13, a displacement occurs upward from the opening 15 as shown in FIG. 2.

  Since the tactile contact lens 20 is arranged in contact with the upper side of the tactile actuator 10, the tactile contact lens is deformed so that the PVC gel 13a rises upward from the opening 15 as shown in FIG. 20 is also deformed.

  In the deformation of the tactile actuator 10, the angle formed by the sheet-like detection unit 21 and the presentation unit 22 is kept constant, for example, 90 degrees. As shown in FIG. 2, the distal end portion 22 a is enlarged and displaced by a deformation amount corresponding to the unevenness amount of the tactile actuator 10. Thereby, the unevenness | corrugation of the up-down direction of the tactile actuator 10 which the sheet-like detection part 21 detected can be amplified correctly, and a tactile sensation can be shown.

(Tactile sense presentation device 100 in which a plurality of tactile sense presentation devices 1 are two-dimensionally arranged)
FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional perspective view showing an example in which the tactile sensation presentation apparatus 100 is configured by arranging a plurality of units U of the haptic presentation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention in a two-dimensional direction.

  The tactile sensation presentation device 1 described above is one unit U including one haptic actuator 10, and various tactile sensations can be presented by arranging the units U in a plurality of two-dimensional directions.

  For example, in the tactile sensation presentation apparatus 100 in which a plurality of units U are arranged in a two-dimensional direction as shown in FIG. 3, the haptic actuator 10 is sequentially driven in any direction of the X direction, the Y direction, and the XY, thereby providing the presentation unit The tactile sensation that 22 gives to the finger or the like can be changed to any direction of the X direction, the Y direction, and the XY, and a feeling that the finger is moving in a certain direction can be given.

  Further, in the tactile sensation presentation apparatus 100 in which a plurality of units U are arranged in a two-dimensional direction as shown in FIG. Can be given. Thereby, for example, arbitrary tactile sensations such as letters, marks, numbers, and Braille can be presented.

(Effect of embodiment)
The embodiment of the present invention has the following effects.
(1) A tactile presentation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a displaceable tactile actuator 10, a tactile contact lens 20 provided on the surface of the tactile actuator 10 in a displaceable direction, and the displacement of the tactile actuator 10. And a control unit 30 for controlling. In the present embodiment, the tactile actuator 10 and the tactile contact lens 20 that simply change the unevenness up and down are not simply stacked, but an elastomer-shaped tactile presentation device in which the tactile actuator 10 itself is deformed and the tactile contact lens 20 is attached. Yes. Accordingly, the unevenness of the haptic actuator 10 can be mechanically amplified by the same principle as that of a haptic contact lens, and an accurate tactile sensation can be presented even with a small displacement.
(2) It is possible to configure the tactile presentation device 100 in which the tactile presentation device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is two-dimensionally arranged. Various tactile sensations can be presented by arranging a plurality of units U of the tactile sensation presenting apparatus 1 in a two-dimensional direction. For example, when the tactile actuator 10 is sequentially driven in any direction of the X direction, the Y direction, and the XY, the tactile sensation that the presentation unit 22 gives to the finger or the like changes in any direction of the X direction, the Y direction, and the XY. Thus, it is possible to give a feeling that the finger is moving in a certain direction. Further, by driving the tactile actuator 10 in parallel, a tactile sensation can be given to a finger or the like by an arbitrary combination of the presenting units 22. Thereby, for example, arbitrary tactile sensations such as letters, marks, numbers, and Braille can be presented.

  As mentioned above, although some embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is only an example and does not limit the invention which concerns on a claim. Moreover, these novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, changes, and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in these embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. Furthermore, these embodiments are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

1 ... tactile presentation device,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Tactile actuator 11 ... Board | substrate 12 ... Positive electrode 13 ... PVC gel 14 ... Negative electrode 15 ... Opening part 20 ... Tactile contact lens 21 ... Sheet-like detection part 22 ... Presentation part 22a ... Tip part 30 ... Control part 100 ... Tactile presentation apparatus

Claims (4)

A displaceable tactile actuator;
A tactile contact lens provided on the surface of the tactile actuator in the displaceable direction;
A control unit for controlling the displacement of the tactile actuator;
A tactile presentation device.   The tactile presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the tactile contact lens amplifies tactile presentation by the displacement of the tactile actuator in a displaceable direction.   The haptic presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the haptic actuator is a gel actuator.   The tactile sensation presentation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tactile actuators are arranged in a plurality of two-dimensional directions.

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